Films by two student filmmakers, Francesca Mastrianni ’18, a Film and Media Studies major, and Jillian Banner, a visiting student from Carleton College, have been accepted into the 2015 Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival, held in Colorado Springs.
The Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival is the longest-run women’s film festival in North America. Its aim is to celebrate the drive, spirit, and diversity of women through film.
Mastrianni’s film, “Labor of Love,” chronicles the experiences of two very different Arkansas Valley farmers.
“‘Labor of Love’ focuses on two local Colorado farmers. Doug Wiley is the owner of Larga Vista Ranch and a fourth generation farmer. Sadly, Doug is struggling to keep his farm financially afloat,” said Mastrianni.
“The second farmer Joseph Camire is the owner of Ahavah Farm,” said Mastrianni. “He is an engineer who has only been farming for eight months. Although both farmers have different backgrounds, they both are farming out of love for their children. They believe that being raised on a farm is vital for their childrens’ development and childhood.”
Banner’s film, “Life by the Horns,” explores the world of professional rodeo clowns.
Both films were created in Colorado College’s two-block intensive summer course, the Colorado Documentary Project, taught by Assistant Professors of Film and New Media Clay Haskell and Dylan Nelson.
The Colorado Documentary Project is dedicated to gripping storytelling, original research, and community-building through the production and distribution of documentary films about the region.
During the course, students learn to make their own films while examining the history, codes, and conventions of the documentary form.
“The Colorado Documentary Project was both the greatest eight weeks of my life and also the most stressful,” said Mastrianni. “After this summer, I really understand the hard work that is required to make a film and I appreciate anyone who takes on the challenge. Dylan Nelson and Clay Haskell, along with the paraprofessional Robert Mahaffie, were so supportive and dedicated to all the students in class; they pushed us to our highest potential and were always will to help us when it was needed.”
“During this summer is when I decided to become a Film and Media major,” said Mastrianni. “Truthfully when I applied to Colorado College, I thought I wanted to major in Biology and continue on to become a nurse for the military. I never imagined that I would be a Film and Media major, nor did my parents. I think that is the beauty of this college, there are so many amazing opportunities for the students.”
During the course, Mastrianni worked with the Arkansas Valley Grower’s Association and the local Venetucci Farms, and Banner worked with the ProRodeo Hall of Fame to help find their history and content for their stories.
“Working with the Arkansas Valley Grower’s Association was definitely a new experience,” said Mastrianni. “I learned a great amount about how the community tries to support farmers and how they share work. Please support local farms and produce, they need us and we need them.”
The festival takes place at Colorado College and the nearby Fine Arts Center Nov. 13-15.